Abstract
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, in partnership with the other Alabama Trustee Implementation Group (AL TIG) members, has been implementing Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) restoration projects since 2016 with fines paid under the Oil Pollution Act. The other AL TIG members are the U.S. Department of Interior, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. To date, implementation has begun on 39 NRDA funded restoration projects in Coastal Alabama. NRDA early restoration funded 8 projects prior to the April 2016 Consent Decree with BPXP. Post-settlement, the AL TIG has approved 3 Restoration Plans containing a total of 35 projects. These restoration projects aim to address injuries to sea turtles; marine mammals; birds; oysters; wetlands, coastal, and nearshore habitats; non-point source nutrient reduction; and recreational use. This presentation will provide a history of the NRDA process in Alabama, including the project screening and selection process, and will highlight several active projects that demonstrate the role of science in restoration decision making. Projects included in the discussion will include the Coastal Alabama Sea Turtle (CAST) Habitat Usage and Population Dynamics, Coastal Alabama Sea Turtle (CAST) Triage Center, Bayfront Park Restoration and Improvements, Assessment of Alabama Estuarine Bottlenose Dolphin Populations and Health, Colonial Nesting Wading Bird Tracking and Habitat Use Assessment—Two Species, and Oyster Hatchery at Claude Peteet Mariculture Center—High Spat Production With Study.
